After writing a 2 star review on this school based on my true and honest experience, I get a very…read moredisturbing phone call from their director Kapil M. He wanted me take down my review. He accused me of bullying his school with my Yelp Review. I am just telling the truth. Please look at my previous reviews where I gave them 4 star. I had all the excitement and hopes at this school and was shattered after realizing the lies that were fed to us. Right now I am enrolled at our school district. My intention for coming her and our attraction for attending this school is because my son loves science!!! After seeing how he replied on my review, it is a lie that they hired staff. They state that they hired staff...Nope staff was not hired and that's the reason why they couldn't give me an exact start date. When they sent their psychologist to my transitional IEP meeting, their representative flatly told my IEP team at my district that they will not be able to provide services at the level they are providing. My IEP is also recorded and was disclosed before the meeting started. All members in that meeting is 100% aware that they are being recorded. When a public charter school makes promises that they will fulfill services like a public school district, and at a recorded IEP meeting they say they will not??? It really questions the accountability and the process for kids with IEP. Sounds like they cherry pick, which special kids they will have enrolled. Or maybe we are sounding like a business.... Because Mr.Kapil told me take my review down because it is ruining his school reputation. Sir, it's a public school and this is my experience with the admission process... Yes, they have all the field trips to make their school look great and all the extra activities. How about accountability? Teacher experience? Ask the how they deal or prevent with bullying? You will notice they tend to dodge the question. When I asked about the teachers, I am told that they had alot of applicants that applied so therefore they have teachers that want to teach and they highlight that they get county retirement and benefits. But they don't tell you the experiences of their teachers. They look really young, which is fun and great but I think having experienced teachers at a school is also very important. Bullying question... They answer by telling us they hired private investigators and no bullying was done. So how about the prevention? If you go to other review sites, you will see accusations of bullying in this school. Overall the idea presented at this school is amazing! STEM based. Lots of activities. Large member of the PTA, which alot of them are their own employees. ;) Alot of attraction to come to this school and that is why we applied. Go to your local school district. Ask the question of STEM and activities before jumping to come here. There are many charter schools to choose from here in South OC such as Journey, Community Roots, Oxford. How are they run? How are they accounted for financially? Money laundering is very common for people who run charter schools. Do your homework? See what best fits your family. Unfortunately this school wasn't a good fit. And sadly we had promises that were made but on the record during the transitional IEP meeting with the school district, it was very clear, they will not provide the services....

I absolutely love this school, I love the fact that they are treat you like a family. They care so…read moremuch. We've been here since third grade , both of my kids are having a good experience, Kapil the founder care so much he just added a program from tillys organization helping kids communicate and learn how to handle stress I was so impressed and I really appreciate it so much .

My daughter went to Grace for a year... and boy it was amazing til they drop the ball early this…read moreyear. School was closing d/t financial problems. Everyone was heartbroken bec of the news. 4 stars for the staff, because they deserve the recognition. They are AMAZING. For the upper management, i have nothing to say. The fact that you kicked our kids in the curbed just like that says a lot. Thank you GCS staff for providing a memorable school year for our daughter, thank you for our teachers and aides, Ms Kim W for the assistance and everyone who kept the school going til the end! its heart breaking but we should all move on, I hope the decision of the management to close the school is worth it.

We loved Grace for years. A wonderful school. I would highly recommend the school to anyone. My…read morechildren went to the school from pre-K to sixth grade.!

Our family has a long history with this school, which makes this review especially difficult to…read morewrite. While there are dedicated teachers, our recent experience exposed deep problems in how serious student concerns are handled. Following a bullying incident, the school's response was slow, procedural, and fragmented. A safety plan was eventually produced, but it relied heavily on the student to manage unsafe situations and lacked clear staff accountability. Even more troubling, the plan was finalized without including all custodial parents in the process. Instead of focusing on corrective action and supervision, the school increasingly framed homeschooling or withdrawal as the "only viable path," which felt more like avoidance than resolution. Parents entrust schools with their children's well‑being. When concerns are raised, families should be met with transparency, collaboration, and urgency. Sadly, that was not our experience.

Our family is so grateful for this school. For the last four years they have really enriched our…read morechildren and helped grow their faith alongside their education. I highly recommend this school if you're looking for a great Christian based education and wonderful environment for your schooling.

We have been pleased with this elementary school. The teachers and staff are excellent. I am…read morethankful we came here years ago. My only recommendation is that parents be allowed and encouraged to be on campus again for picking up their students. The current policy- which changed with Covid- and they appear to not want to reverse- keeps parents waiting outside like a prison- therefore parents don't get to know each other or have much interaction with the teachers.

Transitioned to this school from private kinder and so the Bar was high, but for a 9 rated school…read morethat shouldn't have been a problem. My 7 year old was left unattended outside of school after dismissal for 30 min until a teacher found her under a tree and realized they didn't transition her to the after school program. Negative experiences continued after that - to sum it up we are considering pulling child out only 2 months in. The principle and Front office staff is horrible - and unfortunately deal breakers. Even for a high rated school with good teachers - it isn't worth it to deal with the office and Principle for the next 6 years.

Third year, filing my taxes at this church! Learned about it from Lake Forest newsletter free…read moreservices. And I always make a commitment to give a donation, and attend a service. Abiding savior, Lutheran Church, as a wonderful food bank donation center, and some really kind and considerate people!

Nice looking church to come. Wish they can be less on money. Weird to have a musical offering aside…read morethe main one. Clean restroom to use here. Family friendly as a whole. Preach is on point though.

We've had such a wonderful experience with the 2-year-old program at this school, especially with…read moreMs. Roxy and her team. When our 2-year-old daughter first started, she didn't speak any English at all since we mainly spoke Chinese at home and she was mostly cared for by her grandmother. Because of that, it took her a little longer to adjust to school. Even after two months, she was still feeling frustrated and would mostly sit and watch her classmates instead of joining in. Ms. Roxy was incredibly patient and understanding. She took the time to help our daughter feel comfortable, understand what was happening in the classroom, and slowly build confidence. Now, after three months, we're so happy to see her sitting with the class, following directions, joining activities, and interacting with her teachers. Seeing her progress has been so meaningful for us as parents. We're truly grateful to Ms. Roxy and all the teachers for their patience, kindness, and support. Thank you for helping our daughter feel safe, confident, and happy at school. We highly recommend the Twos program and this school !!!

My son has only been to this school for a month but the progression he is making and engagement is…read morewonderful. He never spoke much about what he learned in school in the past and we would have to dig it out of him. Now he comes home excited to show his work and talks about what he learned in school. We are very happy with what he is learning here and highly recommend! The lake view is also a plus!

It's a great school (minus the drop off and pick up fiasco!)…read moreRules are put out about proper drop off and pick up yet parents break the rules, cut in the line, block crosswalks and stop in the middle and not pull all the way forward as instructed. People on parking lot duty never enforce the rules..... super frustrating! The Principal and teachers are great and they also have a wonderful PTA! If you can ignore the rude parents at drop off and pick up, you will survive

La Madera is a nice small elementary school with not a lot of bells and whistles but it does the…read morejob. Each classroom has a door leading to the outside and a door leading to the grand interior hall that connects everything together. The campus is quite small but has recently built a MPR in the farthest corner of the lunch area and there is a substantial grassy area for the children to play on. The parking lot and surrounding streets can be a little hectic in the morning drop off window and from 2:30 on because La Madera lies across the street from El Toro High School. The parking lot is one way so that helps a lot with the flow of traffic but there will always be those that cannot conduct themselves in such a setting. ;] All in all, its a nice little school and your kids will be safe.

The teaching staff here seems to have a great interest in teaching our kids…read more Their ideas and concepts about getting our kids ready for each upper grade and always striving them forward, are great.

- i attended trabuco mesa elementary school from kindergarten all the way to 6th grade, excluding…read more5th grade. i absolutely loved this school!! the teachers, students, volunteers, lunch activities, and all the many other things this school had to offer was absolutely incredible. this school has given me unforgettable memories and experiences. just one thing,,, i had an incident that had happened my 6th grade year that's had to do with bullying and let's just say when i was offered help, the principal was no help AT ALL. if anything, she made matters worse. when i has reached for help, no help was given by staff nor the principal, all i got was a very, very loud yelling from her and questioned by the police after demanding i have a parent present before further questioning. i never knew a principle could talk to an 11 year old student in such a offensive and demeaning way. not to mention, she told my parents lies about my behavior at school and that i was a bad student even though i never was. - overall this school is truly great. one of the best and if you're thinking about enrolling your child into trabuco mesa elementary school, your child is going to have the time of their lives. you will not regret it. :)